The present invention is described in terms of its application to solving a problem which arises in protecting the operator of a small motor boat, sail boat or other vehicle, if the person falls overboard into the water and the boat continues to run on its course, leaving the operator alone in the water and in jeopardy, especially when the boat is distant from land or other boats. The parent patent application Ser. No. 11/290,727 “Safety Shut Off System for a Powered Vehicle”, filed Nov. 30, 2005 by A. Viggiano and M. LoSchiavo, now Pat. No. 7,201,619 describes in more detail the problem, prior attempts to solve the problem, and a new means for solving the problem. The Background, Brief Description of Drawings, Description, and Drawings of said patent application are hereby incorporated by reference into the description which follows here.
Briefly, the parent application describes a system which provides an improved way of killing the engine of a watercraft, when the operator or another occupant falls overboard or otherwise moves away. An object of the related application is to provide a means for replacing the lanyard with a wireless device, which can be retrofitted onto a watercraft having a familiar lanyard-actuated kill switch, without need for intervention into the craft wiring system. In another aspect of the invention, a separable member holds the sail is place and it is released. In some preferred embodiments that is accomplished by means of a linear-acting actuator. This application is concerned with the electromechanical actuator. A problem presented insofar as the actuator is concerned for the safety system is that the actuator must generate a substantial amount of force or power must be generated to remove a latch key, which by intention is resistive to casual light foce removal. The device must be compact and lightweight, adapted for mounting by a layman on an instrument panel of a boat, or in proximity to a sail. The device must be reliable in the moist environment which is associated with boats. The device ought not consume large amounts of electrical energy.